The present invention relates to a connector that is mountable on a printed circuit board or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a connector having contact pins that are configured to retain the connector on a circuit board during a soldering process.
Connectors are mounted on circuit boards to provide sockets for receiving mating contact pins of an electrical plug to connect various electronic components together. Connectors include bodies made of electrically insulative material and contact pins for coupling the body to the circuit board. Typically, these contact pins are inserted into apertures formed in the circuit board and liquid solder is introduced into the apertures around the contact pins in a wave-soldering process to capture the contact pins in the circuit board apertures.
In some cases, a connector is permanently mounted in an improper attitude or orientation on the circuit board if the connector "floats" from its designated attitude or orientation prior to or during the soldering process. This type of unwanted floating can occur if the connector is not retained securely in a fixed position on the circuit board and is characterized by "rocking" or other movement of the connector relative to the circuit board during exposure to handling or a solder wave.
One object of the present invention is to provide a connector or other electrical component that is able to retain itself in a stable and secure position on a circuit board prior to establishing a soldered connection between the circuit board and the contact pins.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector or other electrical component that includes contact pins which are spring-biased and configured to draw the body of the connector or component to a stable position against the circuit board to minimize any rocking or other movement which might occur during handling or exposure of the contact pins to a solder wave.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a self-retaining connector or other electrical component.
According to the present invention, a connector is provided for mounting on a circuit board. The connector includes a body member having a bottom wall and first and second electrical contact pins. The first electrical contact pin is coupled to the body member and configured to extend downwardly below the bottom wall and align with the bottom wall to define an acute included angle therebetween. The second electrical contact pin is coupled to the body member and configured to extend downwardly below the bottom wall in splayed relation to the first electrical contact pin and align with the bottom wall to define an obtuse included angle therebetween.
In preferred embodiments, the first and second electrical contact pins are made of an electrically conductive spring material to provide a "spring clip" suitably configured to retain the connector on a circuit board. In particular, at least one pair of first and second electrical contact pins are configured to define spring means for yieldably drawing the bottom wall of the body member into seating engagement with the circuit board upon insertion of the first and second electrical contact pins into a pair of pin-receiving apertures formed in the circuit board so that the body member is retained in a stable position on the circuit board.
The body member further includes a plurality of side walls and the first and second electrical contact pins are appended to one of the side walls to lie adjacent to the circuit board upon assembly of the connector onto the circuit board. Another of the side walls is formed to include socket means for receiving a plug so that an electrical component attached to the plug can be coupled to the circuit board via the connector.
The side wall designated to engage the contact pins is formed to include upper and lower pin-receiving apertures aligned in vertically spaced-apart relation. The upper aperture is situated to lie adjacent to a top wall of the body member and the lower aperture is situated intermediate the bottom wall and the upper aperture.
The first electrical contact pin is bent to provide a proximal leg inserted into the body member through the lower aperture and a distal leg aligned relative to the bottom wall to define an acute included angle therebetween. The second electrical contact pin is bent to provide a proximal leg inserted into the body member through the upper aperture and a distal leg aligned relative to the bottom wall to define an obtuse included angle therebetween. Thus, the distal legs of the first and second electrical contacts are aligned to diverge as they extend away from the body member to provide a spring clip means usable to retain the connector on the circuit board as well as to conduct an electrical current between the circuit board and a plug attached to the body member.
In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of pairs of first and second electrical connectors are arranged in rows and used to provide means for retaining the body member in a substantially fixed position on the circuit board during exposure to handling or a solder wave. The retaining means includes first and second rows of spaced-apart parallel electrical contact pins appended to one of the side walls.
The first row includes a plurality of electrical contact pins which are inserted into a companion row of upper apertures formed in the selected side wall. Each electrical contact pin in the first row operates to provide first spring means for yieldably pulling the bottom wall away from the circuit board upon insertion of the distal legs the first row of electrical contact pins into a first row of apertures formed in the circuit board. The second row includes a plurality of different electrical contact pins which are inserted into a companion row of lower apertures formed in the same side wall. Each electrical contact pin in the second row operates to provide second spring means counteracting the first spring means for yieldably urging the bottom wall into seated engagement on the circuit board upon insertion of the distal legs of the second row of electrical contact pins into a second row of apertures formed in the circuit board.